Apple denied Samsung’s proposed deal in Australia that would allow the South Korea-based company to begin selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet there. Apple believes Samsung’s products are “copycat” versions of its iPad and iPhone, and that the touchscreen technology used in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes on its patents. According to Reuters, Apple attorney Steven Burley said, “The main reason we are here is to prevent the launch of [the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1] and maintain the status quo.” Samsung agreed not to sell or advertise the tablet in Australia until the court reaches a decision, but time is running out. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be “commercially dead” if Samsung cannot get the tablet on the market by mid-October, in time for the holiday season, Samsung said. If that happens, the company’s lawyer Neil Young noted that Samsung will take its time preparing a case and will continue to fight into next year. Apple has successfully banned Samsung’s German subsidiary from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and there are similar lawsuits around the globe in Japan, France and the United States. More →

On Thursday, reports surfaced suggesting LG was laying off 30% of its mobile business workers overseas. The firm denied the rumors on Friday, however, stating “We are always looking at opportunities to improve the performance of our mobile business but no decision has been made as to any job reductions,” according to Reuters. Korea Economic Daily said on Thursday that LG was letting go of 30% of its mobile employees in an attempt to turn around its struggling mobile business, and LG said the report was simply “speculation.” The article also said the Korean-based company had plans to begin domestic layoffs in the near future. More →

Mac users have recently been targeted by a phishing scam that falsely claimed their computers were infected with a virus. Upon being redirected to an illegitimate website, users were instructed to install “Mac Defender,” which was malware masquerading as an antivirus application. Until recently, Apple had reportedly instructed its AppleCare support reps to deny any existence of the problem and said reps should “not remove or uninstall any malware” found on a computer. On Tuesday, however, Apple finally acknowledged the issue and posted instructions on its support forums that cover how to avoid and remove the Mac Defender malware. Hit the jump for Apple’s instructions. More →

AppleCare representatives can do a lot of things for Mac owners suffering software issues… except when it comes to malware. In an internal support article leaked to ZDNet, Apple instructs its call center representatives on how to handle calls from users reporting that they have a machine infected with the “Mac Defender” malware trojan. And, as you can see, Apple is definitely taking the hands-off approach. “AppleCare does not provide support for the removal of the malware,” reads the memo. “You should not confirm or deny whether the customer’s Mac is infected or not.” Apple certainly isn’t the first company to instruct its support representatives to shy away from virus/malware assistance, but it is notable as it is the first major Mac OS X virus that — thanks to some moderate social engineering — is propagating. Apple has yet to issue a public statement about the software’s existence or infection levels. The full memo is after the break. More →